


Take it Slow Motion, Astronaut

by everywintersbreath



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Amusement Parks, Cheesy, Ferris Wheels, M/M, Masks, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 14:46:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16536635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everywintersbreath/pseuds/everywintersbreath
Summary: The mysterious man in the childish cat mask who keeps showing up at Junhui's work to give him gifts might be more obvious than he thinks.





	Take it Slow Motion, Astronaut

**Author's Note:**

> gen soonhui mmmm thats the good stuff
> 
> title from whitney woerz - love me not

As a six-year employee at Pledis Coasters, Junhui’s seen his share of strange occurrences.

This, however, is new. The man’s peeking out at him from behind a tree, a messy, unprofessional costume head resembling that of a cat covering the entirety of his skull. It’s weird, but kind of cute in a way. Junhui has to admit that he at least did a good job with that part. Technically, costumes aren’t banned in the park, since employees have specific uniforms, but it’s still pretty unusual to see anyone actually wearing one.

He raises a hand, giving the man a little wave and a friendly smile, hoping that’ll be the end of it. The man stumbles, almost falling over, righting himself and giving a clumsy little bow that Junhui pleasantly continues to smile at, emptying one of the park’s many garbage cans at the same time. “Hello,” he calls to the man. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”

The mask shakes back and forth, the man awkwardly sliding his way towards Junhui. Were his movements not so comically animated, Junhui would almost feel alarmed. The man’s feet slip one right in front of the other, prancing up, his arms swinging out from behind his back to offer Junhui what looks like a flower.

Upon closer inspection, it’s clearly, a rose, soft petals rustling in the breeze. “For me?” Junhui asks curiously, receiving an enthusiastic nod from the man in the mask. Carefully, he takes the wrapped flower, holding it delicately between his fingers. “Thank you,” he says, genuine. There’s a smile on his face now that’s not just his customer service one. Sure, this is kind of weird, and maybe a little creepy, but Junhui will take this over some kid throwing up on his pants or another mother threatening to get him fired for not letting her into the park for free.

The man nods again, over-exaggerating his gestures as if to mimic those of one of those wide-eyed girls in the shows Soonyoung watches on his computer. He’s kicking at one shoe, twiddling his thumbs in front of his body. Junhui swallows, feeling a bit awkward. “I’ll take good care of it.”

The man gives a thumbs up, covering the cheeks of his mask with the gloves he wears on his hands like he’s trying to appear shy before spinning in a giddy circle and tottering off in what could barely be considered a jog.

Junhui scratches his head with his bare hand, glancing between the garbage back in his left hand and the rose in his right.

 

Huh.

 

-

 

“How was your day?” Soonyoung asks before Junhui’s even fully inside, nonchalantly flipping through a magazine on the couch of their small shared apartment. “Alright,” Junhui murmurs, the shirt of his uniform folded over his arm and the rose clutched in his hands. “There was this guy in an animal mask who came up to me and gave me a flower. High point of my day.”

“Really?” Soonyoung asks, turning his head to look at Junhui. His eyes flit over the rose, and then he looks back at his magazine, uncharacteristic behavior. It’s almost as if he’s nervous or something. _Uh oh_. Junhui hopes that Soonyoung didn’t have a big audition or something today that he forgot to congratulate him on. Could that be it?

“I made some mac-and-cheese,” Soonyoung says, voice muffled. “Your favorite kind, the gross white cheddar stuff. It’s on the counter.”

_Not angry then_ , Junhui thinks, smiling. “White cheddar is not gross,” he grumbles playfully. “You better take that back.” Soonyoung shrugs his shoulders exaggeratedly. “Sorry, can’t help it that you’re a weirdo.”

“Hmph,” Junhui replies, lightly shoving him on his way past and entering the kitchen. Sure enough, the macaroni sits untouched in a pot out on the counter, a gesture that makes the corners of Junhui’s mouth twitch up. “Thanks, Soonie,” he calls back. “Do you know if we still have that vase your mom brought over? I want to make sure I find a spot for this flower.”

“There’s probably a cup or something that you could use,” Soonyoung replies. “It’s not going to live for that long anyway, so you don’t really have to go to the trouble.” 

“I want to,” Junhui replies gently. “It was a nice touch from whoever that person was, and I’m sure they put a lot of thought into picking it. I owe them to take care of it for as long as I can.”

 Soonyoung doesn’t reply immediately, seeming to take a moment to gather his thoughts. “What a lovely sentiment.”

 

-

 

The next time Junhui sees the man in the mask is five days after their first encounter.

Junhui’s just about to go for his break when the man comes dancing out from a nearby bush, where Junhui hadn’t seen him at all, despite how noticeable he should be. He jumps a little, getting a big reaction from the man, who bows several times in apology. “It’s okay,” Junhui says, laughing. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a scaredy cat.”

The man points to his cat mask and then his chest as if to say ‘me too’. Junhui can’t help but smile. “It’s nice to see you again. Are you having a good day?”

The man nods enthusiastically, pointing at Junhui in return. “Are you asking how my day was? Oh, it’s been alright. Pretty boring, to be honest. I’m kind of glad that you showed up.”

The man mimes jumping up and down in excitement, which gets a little snort from Junhui. Abruptly, he drops down to kneel on one knee, lowering his head and offering Junhui a small package. Startled once more, Junhui hesitantly takes it, fingers hovering over the wrapping paper. “Do you want me to open it here?”

The man shakes his head, turning and running away before Junhui can ask anymore questions. Junhui frowns slightly, staring down at the small package. How strange.

Slowly, he wanders back into the employee building, sitting down in one of the only rooms in the park with a working fan, taking a sip of his water and tearing open the wrapping. The first thing Junhui sees are the candies, his favorites, little strawberry flavored sweets from the brand he always raves about. His eyes widen. The man in the mask must be some sort of psychic. Or he has a stalker, but Junhui really prefers not to consider that option.

He carefully slides the candies into his pocket, taking out the other item in the package. It’s a piece of corrugated cardboard with cut-out letters from magazines forming a message.

 WiLl you RiDE THE ferrIS WhEEL WITH me ?

9:00

Junhui stares at the words in silence for several seconds before grinning. They must have amazing timing. Nine is right after his shift ends. Looks like he’s got a ‘date’.

 

-

 

Junhui isn’t sure why he’s so nervous to meet up with a guy he’s literally only met twice and who has been wearing a mask for both of those interactions, but he straightens out his shirt at least sixteen times on the walk over to the Ferris wheel.

Unsurprisingly, it’s not hard to miss the man standing by one of the game booths, a figure nervously scratching at his wrist. It’s such a human gesture that Junhui feels strangely endeared. “Hey,” he calls, jogging over. “Sorry if I made you wait.”

The man shakes his head, hesitantly reaching out a gloved hand. Junhui takes it, the man’s fingers warm between his own. “Ready to go?” Junhui asks.

Before Junhui himself is even ready, they’re at the front of the line, facing a strange look from Junhui’s coworker, Jeonghan, as the two of them get onboard one of the little Ferris wheel cars. “Have a glorious time,” Jeonghan comments dryly, snapping the gate that leads into the car shut and giving it a playful little shove. 

Junhui just laughs, his hand now feeling cold where it rests on his leg, the other man’s absence noticed. With a wry look, Jeonghan sends them upwards, the car jolting to a stop at the first checkpoint while they wait for the final car to load. “The lights are pretty,” Junhui comments, shifting his weight. The man nods, fidgeting even more than Junhui. He seems to have lost his playful air. Maybe, Junhui thinks for a moment, this was a big mistake and he’s about to get stabbed.

Without warning, the car starts moving up again, this time a smooth glide, slowly bringing them higher. The man’s hands rub at each other in his lap, and then he’s reaching up to his mask, ripping it off. “Surprise?” He squeaks. “Sorry, that was so lame. In my head it was a lot cooler. I thought it’d be all romantic-”

“Soonyoung, it’s fine,” Junhui says, laughing. “I was like ninety percent sure it was you anyway, but the other ten percent of my brain was a little worried that you were some sort of serial killer.”

“Well, I mean, I could be,” Soonyoung blurts defensively, seeming to just be looking for words that he can spit out to divert the awkwardness. “Yeah, right,” Junhui giggles. “You?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re like, the most adorable person on this planet. There’s no way.” Soonyoung squints at him, eyes wobbling. “Wait, wait, wait. Do you, uh, like me?”

“Yeah,” Junhui replies. “Have for a while. What’s with the tone? If you don’t like me after all this, I’m going to be pretty annoyed. Is this some elaborate prank to get me to come out as gay?”

“No, dummy,” Soonyoung says frantically. “Obviously, I like you back. Just, like, what do we do now? Do we kiss? Do we hold hands and jump off the side of the Ferris wheel?”

“Hopefully not the second one,” Junhui remarks. “But I’ll gladly kiss you.”

**Author's Note:**

> i only just figured out how to format italics on ao3 pls clap 
> 
> my feet are kinda cold
> 
> feedback appreciated


End file.
